castor

/kɐsˈtoɾ/

//kɐsˈtoɾ// noun

The verdict

“castor” is a moderately-common Portuguese word, ranked #16,007 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,007
frequency rank, Portuguese
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - roedor semi-aquáticos da família Castoridae, nativo da América do Norte e da Europa

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

castor vs custo
67% similar
castor vs cisto
67% similar
castor vs castro
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for castor
PropertyValue
Headwordcastor
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɐsˈtoɾ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,007
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “castor” sits in Portuguese frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). castor lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for castor is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɐsˈtoɾ/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,007 in overall Portuguese word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for castor, with forms such as "acstor", "casotr", and "casstor". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "custo", "cisto", "castro", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Portuguese form is castor, spelled C-A-S-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    roedor semi-aquáticos da família Castoridae, nativo da América do Norte e da Europa
  2. 2
    pelo desse animal
  3. 3
    chapéu feito desse pelo

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acstor,casotr,casstor,castorr,casttor,catsor,ccastor,csator

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of castor - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acstor2casotr2casstor1castorr1casttor1catsor2ccastor1csator2
Edit distance from "castor"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "castor"?
"castor" is spelled C-A-S-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /kɐsˈtoɾ/.
What does "castor" mean?
As a noun, "castor" means: roedor semi-aquáticos da família Castoridae, nativo da América do Norte e da Europa
What words are commonly confused with "castor"?
"castor" is commonly confused with "custo", "cisto", "castro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "castor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "castor" is /kɐsˈtoɾ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "castor" come from?
"castor" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “castor”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is C-A-S-T-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɐsˈtoɾ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “custo” - see the side-by-side comparison. castor vs custo
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list